M&A Launchpad

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew are joined by Dominick Blue, a former Marine turned software engineer and acquisition entrepreneur. Dominick shares his inspiring journey—launching Nostra Group, buying two businesses in under a year, and building an AI company to automate operations in home services. He opens up about transitioning from a milit...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew sit down with Dustin Carreon, founder of COI Holdings, for a powerful conversation on transitioning from small family business roots to building a successful self-funded HoldCo. Dustin shares the full arc of his entrepreneurial journey—from collecting scrap metal with his father, to running a multi-million dolla...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew welcome special guest Jon Staenberg, a veteran investor and expert in the search fund space. The conversation explores the growing role of search funds in the transition of small businesses across America and why now is a pivotal moment for aspiring entrepreneurs and investors alike.  Jon shares his journey, fro...

Join hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa on the M&A Launchpad Podcast as they welcome Jeremey Ames, Co-Founder and CEO of Guidant Financial. With over two decades of experience and a track record of helping 30,000 individuals step into business ownership, Jeremey brings invaluable insights to the table. Together, they explore different routes to entrepreneurship, from leveraging retirement fu...

Join hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa on the M&A Launchpad Podcast as they sit down with Nate Pratt, CFA, Vice President of Corporate Development at OneDigital. Nate plays a pivotal role in driving growth in the institutional and wealth advisory space through mergers and acquisitions. With a wealth of experience from leadership roles at Dimensional Fund Advisors, a $575 billion investment...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa interview Michael and Meredith Schlinkert, owners of BackgroundConnect, as they share their journey of acquiring a background screening company in Houston. They discuss their backgrounds, the search process for the right business, the challenges they faced during the acquisition, and their strategies for growth in the...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa interview Bryan Rand, CEO of Rand & Co Holdings, who delves into the intricacies of being an independent sponsor. Bryan explains the dual aspects of the role: accelerating growth for small businesses and acquiring legacy companies. Key topics include deal structuring, the benefits of private credit, and sale-lease...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa interview JD Beck, a successful entrepreneur in the plumbing and HVAC industry. JD, a graduate from the University of Alabama with an electrical engineering degree, went straight to the army after college. After the army, JD spent time in the corporate world before discovering the world of business acquisitions....

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa interview Rob Carpenter - an accomplished entrepreneur who got his start in AI before AI was popular and eventually exited to begin his own family office focused on home service acquisitions. Rob was born in an Eskimo village in Alaska and moved to Colorado where he launched his first software development compan...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa interview Brittney Orellano, who shares her inspirational journey of starting a real estate property management company and later acquiring a garage and gate service business in Kansas City. Brittney discusses the challenges of balancing entrepreneurship with family life, including working with her husband while...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa interview Ray Drew, known to many in the M&A space as “SBA Ray”.  Ray hosts his own podcast called “The Art of SBA Lending” and provides an in-depth exploration of the SBA lending program, particularly the 7(a) loan. He has 13 years of experience in the lending space and is currently with Truliant Federal Cr...

In this episode, Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa, of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, interview Dr. Thomas Powell, a serial entrepreneur and investor.  Dr. Thomas Powell has over 35 years of experience in banking and finance and has developed a deep understanding of the industry and raising capital. Tom has raised billions of dollars in his career for oil and gas, real estate and business ventures. I...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew welcome special guest Nick Heye.  Nick talks about his experience entering the franchise world with Rolling Suds, a power washing and exterior cleaning company. Nick was the fourth franchisee in a new system that has now grown to nearly one hundred, and shares his insights on the challenges and rewards of buildi...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew welcome special guest Rory Tyer. This past year, Rory bought a retail garden center in his hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. Although Rory had a career before his dive into ETA (Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition), he spent several years searching for the right type of business to buy. Rory’s previous ca...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew welcome special guest John Murphy. John shares his transition from a military career to working at a Fortune 50 company, investing in real estate, and ultimately buying his business.  John received his college degree and decided to serve his country in the military.  After his time in the military, he began to p...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew welcome special guest Blake Hutchison, the CEO of Flippa. Blake has been running Flippa for six years and shares many insights into how finds the edge to stand out as a giant in the industry.  Flippa is a marketplace that allows buyers and sellers to transact on technology-backed businesses. The discussion explo...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew welcome special guest David Sinkinson. David and his brother Chris founded AppArmor. David discusses his experience founding and growing this public safety software company with his brother. The discussion navigates through their journey from bootstrapping the startup, achieving significant revenue growth, overc...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew welcome special guest Jordan Hammond. Jordan shares his journey from experiencing the failure of his first business to building a successful business through strategic acquisitions. After a successful second start-up, Jordan decided that rather than deploying his cash into real estate, as many of his friends did...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew welcome special guest Steve Divitkos, discussing the challenges of launching and growing a search fund. Steve shares his experiences as a first-time CEO, the emotional toll, strategic decisions, and the eventual exit from his company.  Steve dives deep into what it’s like to be a CEO.  For example, the challenge...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa & Casey Minshew interview Ned MacPherson, who shares his compelling journey of bootstrapping a business from scratch, scaling it rapidly, and eventually exiting to a private equity firm. Ned, who has a background in statistics, brought these skills he gained in college and applied them to his love and desire for entrepreneurs...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew interview Jens Grudno, delving into his journey from a finance background to acquiring and turning around a struggling German manufacturing business. Jens shares the challenges and intricacies of transitioning from corporate roles to entrepreneurship, including the complex process of acquiring a division of a ba...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew welcome special guest Richard Parker. We delve deep into the world of M&A with Richard, who has successfully bought and sold dozens of companies.  Richard currently manages Roy Street Advisors, an investment banking firm representing business owners and buyers in the sale of companies.  Richard also provides...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew welcome special guest Patrick O'Connell.  Today we are focusing on the role of a quality of earnings (QoE) in the M&A process. Patrick discusses the importance of conducting a quality of earnings analysis when transacting. The QoE is used to verify what the seller has told you about the business verses what...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Feras Moussa and Casey Minshew welcome special guest Matt Pohl, Founder of The ReWild Group. Matt shares his journey of transitioning from a corporate job to becoming a business owner. This discussion covers Matt's decision to buy a lifestyle business, the eventual realization of the true value of his company, and how he managed to grow and s...

In this episode of the M&A Launchpad Podcast, hosts Casey Minshew and Feras Moussa interview Alan Lockridge about his journey from tech consulting to purchasing and running 'The Stoneman,' a business specializing in hardscapes. The discussion covers Alan's three-year search for the right business, which was affected by COVID-19, and his eventual acquisition strategy. He shares insights on the...